Tuesday, 1 November 2011

''The Needle''

''Time was when the women of England were accustomed, almost from childhood, to the constant employment of their hands. It might be sometimes in elaborate works of fancy, now ridiculed for want of taste.....I cannot speak with unqualified praise of all objects on which they bestowed their attention, but if it were possible, I would write in characters of gold the indisputable fact that habits of industry and personal exertion thus acquired, gave them a strength and dignity of character, a power of usefulness and a capability of doing good which the higher theories of modern education fail to impart.'' Sarah Ellis

These quotes I have taken from the book, ''The Subversive Stitch Embroidery'' by Rozsika Parker. I have been reading this book for my dissertation and as I am reading it I am gaining a lot of insight into young girls and woman of the Victorian era and how stitching was an important part of their lifestyle. When I mean important lifestyle I don't just mean they stiched out of luxury, but they stitched with feeling either of remorse or for love of this particular art. Stitching, embroidering, lace-making were skills not appreciated as an art form and seems to be overlooked and critisized a lot of woman who were either forced into doing so as a respectful duty or for earning a living. How sad to think that stitching and embroidering can be so overlooked, undermined and ridiculed, for to me it holds such strong history and character of a person's life as well as in capturing the history of the people of the era.

Stitching is something I am extremely passionate about and I feel it should be more respected and held in high standards and should not be compared to other types of art forms eg....artist/painter.

2 comments:

Yes, Thank You the books have been extremely helpful. I am nearly finishing reading 'In Her Own Image' which has opened up my eyes more to the social conflicts around womaen's work. It has given me a better understanding of 'femenitity' which I can completely relate to. XX

About Me

I have a strong passion for making and designing garments and accessorize pieces as perfectly and beautifully as I can. I have a keen eye and a love for detail within bespoke dressmaking, embroidery and other forms of embellishments. My Hope and Faith in God is what keeps me captivated. I like to treat each day as a new challenge and new adventure. I am a kid at heart and love to have fun!